Chapter 158: A Wolf’s Bitter Duty
Chapter 158: A Wolf’s Bitter Duty
(Celeste’s POV)
The Winter Pack house’s main hall was steep with tension, every corner of the room heavy with unspoken expectations. The air felt suffocating. Around the table, the faces of the family stared back at me like reflections in a broken mirror–shards of what once was.
At the head was Alpha James, his back straight and his chin held high. His authoritative
presence loomed, his green eyes full of hard calculation. There was none of the warmth I used
to cherish as his daughter. That had vanished.
Victoria sat to his right, her hands clasped in her lap. Her gaze flickered nervously between
James and me. She looked like she wanted to say something, to defend me, but no words
came.
Scarlett stood in the shadowed corner, half–hidden as if this situation had nothing to do with
her. Yet her emerald eyes sparkled with satisfaction whenever her gaze landed on me. She
reveled in my humiliation while pretending otherwise.
“Remember your duty to this pack, Celeste,” Alpha James cut through the silence, his voice
cold and devoid of any affection.
It wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t a question. It was a command.
“Yes, Alpha,” I replied evenly, the title tasting bitter in my mouth. I didn’t call him ‘Father.‘ He
didn’t deserve it anymore.
James leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. His piercing gaze bore into me,
sharp and unyielding. His wolf’s dominance pressed down on me like an invisible weight.
“You’ve been given an opportunity,” he said slowly, each word measured, his tone laced with
authority. “An opportunity to prove that you still have value in this family.”
I stared at him, refusing to react outwardly. My wolf stirred within me, angry and restless. To
them, my value wasn’t in who I was or what I’d endured. No. It was in the alliances I could
secure.
“I understand.” My tone stayed calm.
“Good,” James clipped, leaning back in his chair. “Because let me make something perfectly clear–if anything happens to Marcus during this exchange, you don’t come back here. Do you
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Chapter 158: A Wolf’s Bitter Duty
understand me?”
The words slammed into me like a blow. My stomach turned, but I kept my expression neutral. My pride wouldn’t allow me to break, not in front of them.
Victoria gasped softly at his harsh declaration, her green eyes widening in alarm. “James, surely that’s too-”
“Enough,” James snapped, cutting her off without even sparing her a glance. “The pack’s survival comes before your sentimentality.”
Victoria shrank back, her wolf whining softly in submission. She looked like she wanted to disappear into her seat.
My heart twisted at the sight. Once, she would have defended me fiercely, her maternal instincts stronger than anyone else’s. But now? Now I was nothing more than a liability–a
problem she couldn’t openly protect.
Scarlett, meanwhile, stood quietly in her corner, her arms crossed and her face composed. But when her eyes met mine, she didn’t bother hiding the flicker of satisfaction. A smug smirk threatened her lips, but she buried it with practiced expertise.
“Have I made myself clear?” James’s voice broke the heavy silence again.
“Crystal clear, Alpha,” I replied, my voice stable. Refusing to call him “Father” felt like the only weapon I had left to wound him.
The faintest c***k of emotion flickered in Victoria’s expression–a wince of guilt perhaps–but
she lowered her head, staying silent.
The room fell quiet again, as if my words had frozen the tension into something harder and
sharper.
I stood waiting, the weight of their dismissive gazes heavy on my shoulders.
Finally, James waved his hand toward the door, his gesture as dismissive as his tone. “You’re
excused.”
I turned on my heel, moving toward the door with measured steps. My body ached to run–to
escape the suffocating air of this place–but I refused to show weakness. Not here. Not now.
As I reached the doorway, Scarlett’s voice made my skin crawl. “Nina should accompany her,”
she suggested innocently, though the venom in her tone was subtle.
James nodded in agreement. “Nina,” he barked. “Go with her. I don’t want her wandering off
and making foolish choices.”
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Chapter 158: A Wolf’s Bitter Duty
Nina, standing quietly against the wall, bristled at the command. Her sharp gray eyes noticed
every insult, every dismissal thrown my way.
“Yes, Alpha,” she replied stiffly, moving to join me quickly.
The moment we left the main hall, I allowed myself to exhale deeply. The air outside of that
dreadful room felt lighter, though not by much.
“Miss Celeste,” Nina’s voice was calm, her usual sharpness softened with concern. “Should we
return to your quarters?”
I shook my head immediately. “No. I need air,” I murmured, my voice softer than I intended.
Without another word, I veered toward the moonstone path leading to the Sacred Moon Pool.
It was quieter there, away from the prying eyes of the household.
Nina followed without question, matching my pace as we walked in silence.
The cool breeze carried the faint scent of wildflowers, a temporary balm to my raw emotions.
Overhead, the moon shone softly, highlighting the jagged path ahead.
As we reached the Sacred Moon Pool, its serene waters greeted me. The gentle ripples
seemed to mock the storm raging in my chest. I stood at the edge, staring at my reflection.
The pale scar from my time in Moon Shadow Prison stretched across my wrist, illuminated by
the moonlight.
“Miss Celeste…” Nina’s voice broke the silence, hesitant.
Before I could answer her, footsteps approached–soft, deliberate, and far too familiar. That
unbearable scent reached me next: sweet, cloying, and laced with something artificial.
Scarlett.
“Enjoying the moonlight, sister?” Her voice was sticky with false warmth as she drew closer.
I turned slowly, schooling my face into a mask of indifference. She carried a small glass
bottle, clear liquid glinting under the moon’s gentle light.
“I thought you might need this,” she said, holding out the bottle toward me. Her emerald eyes
shimmered with feigned kindness.
“No, thank you,” I replied curtly, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Scarlett pouted, her lips forming a practiced frown. “You’ve changed, Celeste,” she murmured,
though her voice carried no genuine sadness.
Before I could offer a retort, she stepped closer, her expression shifting slightly. “I’m worried,”
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Chapter 158: A Wolf’s Bitter Duty
she confessed, her eyes suddenly glimmering with perfectly rehearsed tears.
I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Worried? About what?”
“Alexander,” she whispered, her voice trembling delicately. “It… it seems like he’s avoiding me.”
I blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her directness. “And why are you telling me this?”
Scarlett hesitated, as if choosing her next words carefully. “It’s just… it seems like he’s always
near you somehow. In your presence.”
Understanding dawned in an instant. “You’re worried about me,” I stated flatly.
“Well, can you blame me?” she pressed, her voice growing more insistent. “Everyone knows about the history you two share. And now, with the marking ceremony coming up-”
I interrupted her with a sharp glare. “Scarlett, do you think I’ve had time to worry about Alexander when I’m being traded to the Northern rogues?”
Her tears halted abruptly, though she quickly masked the shift with another dramatic sniffle.
“Then prove it,” she said suddenly, her tone shifting. “Help me understand if he truly loves me.”
Before I could respond, several things happened at once.
Scarlett’s water bottle slipped from her grasp, tumbling to the ground. Her hand shot out, grabbing my arm–the one already scarred from silver burns–with surprising strength. Then, she staggered dramatically, pulling me toward the edge of the Sacred Moon Pool.
It only took a split second for me to realize her intent. The rocks beneath my feet were slippery. If I wasn’t careful, I’d fall–and she would drag me right in with her.
